Denpasar (Indonesia) (AFP)
Galungan's Hindu celebration in Bali marks the victory of Good over Evil, but this year a new enemy is threatening cosmic balance: the new coronavirus.
The faithful who flocked to the temples of the Island of the Gods at the end of February to make offerings of flowers and incense hope that the Indonesian island will soon be able to recover from the drop in the number of visitors which plunges its tourist sector.
"We pray for the good things in the universe, that the virus will go away quickly and that tourism in Bali can rebound," said priest Made Langgeng Buwana to AFP in the Balinese capital Denpasar.
The Balinese bring offerings in boxes, place them under parasols, and make their devotions as a family, alternately in private temples then in the largest public temples.
About one million Chinese visit the island each year, the second largest contingent of tourists after the Australians, bringing millions of dollars to the local economy.
But the flow of Chinese tourists was abruptly stopped when the new coronavirus emerged in Wuhan and paralyzed several Chinese provinces during the Lunar New Year.
- bankruptcy threatens -
Indonesian authorities have cut all air links to China and the absence of Chinese tourists is a blow to many restaurants, hotels, tour guides and interpreters.
In Bali, some establishments geared towards Chinese customers have closed and others say they are on the verge of bankruptcy.
The tourism industry in Bali has already experienced difficult times, especially after the eruption of the Agung volcano in 2018.
"There had been a fall but not as brutal," recalls Robin, a 29-year-old Indonesian interpreter who usually works as a guide with affluent Chinese on the island.
The government of the largest economy in Southeast Asia is preparing aid of some $ 700 million to boost tourism and Bali officials have recruited influencers to attract visitors.
The head of the Bali tourism agency Putu Astawa admits that the loss of 100,000 Chinese tourists per month is painful.
But tourist flows from Australia, Japan, North America and Europe have so far resisted, he said.
And he says he cares less about the virus than "information on social media that damage the image of our tourism sector".
Indonesia announced Monday that it has identified two initial cases of Covid-19 carriers in Jakarta, and none have been confirmed in Bali so far.
But a study by the public health service of the American university Harvard had doubted last month the absence of case of contamination by the new coronavirus in this archipelago of 260 million inhabitants. Given its significant ties to China, the study authors believed it was statistically unlikely.
- deserted complex -
In the midst of uncertainty, the Dream Island complex, on a beach in the South of the island, fears for its survival.
Privileged destination for Chinese tourists who came to take wedding photos, get massages in cabins, dine watching a show or take camel rides on the beach, is deserted.
The neighboring restaurants are empty, Dream Island has laid off half of its staff and could go bankrupt quickly, laments its director Wayan Tirta.
"Right now, we are trying to attract local students, because there are no more tourists." "We are severely affected by the epidemic and we are just trying to survive," he said.
In one of the complex's restaurants, La Baie des Sirènes, Arik and two other employees play on their smartphones next to a couple of camels resting in the sand.
"We have nothing to do. We really hope that customers will come," she said.
At the OYO 1992 China Town hotel, adorned with Chinese ideograms, it was also the crisis.
This Denpasar establishment had dozens of employees who offered massages to Chinese customers. But this windfall has dried up.
"Before the coronavirus we planned to add massage beds", observes the hotel manager Vincent Fonda. "But ultimately, it is likely that we will put the key under the door."
© 2020 AFP